Neymar to miss Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals with hamstring injury

The hamstring again. Neymar watching from the sidelines again for a crucial match for Santos. This time the setback comes right before the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals, and the club has already confirmed the captain will be unavailable for either leg against Atletico Mineiro.

The injury happened during Santos' elimination against Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil, a double blow for the Peixe since they lost the tournament and their biggest star in the same match. The club released the medical report and it was all laid out clearly: a grade 2A strain in the right biceps femoris, the same area that has sidelined him so many times throughout his career.

The estimated recovery time is between two and three weeks, but Santos isn't looking to rush anything. The plan is for Neymar to return only after the September and October FIFA international break, once the medical staff can guarantee he's at 100 percent rather than somewhere in between. After all, why risk it again when everyone already knows how the story ends when the timeline gets pushed?

That confirms his absence for both quarterfinal matches against Atletico Mineiro, scheduled for the 9th and 16th of this month. Santos will have to face the series without their captain, and also without two other important pieces: Alvaro Barreal, who suffered the same injury but in his left leg, and Lucas Verissimo, with a sprain in his right ankle. A heavy medical report for a team that needed good news.

Truth is, nobody was too surprised. Coach Cuca himself had already warned the previous week that the chances of having Neymar available were slim, and he preferred to rally the rest of the squad rather than dwell on the absence.

Neymar is probably going to be out. We'll have to manage without him, just like we did when he was at the World Cup and we played well. We'll get back to work on that.Cuca

A win that comes at the right time

The truth is that Cuca's message got a quick answer on the field. This Sunday, already without Neymar, Barreal or Verissimo, Santos took on Internacional in the Brasileirao and didn't fare badly at all: they went ahead on the scoreboard, watched the opponent push and search for a comeback, but ended up closing out the match 3-2 in their favor. That result lifted them to 12th place in the standings, a bit of relief after some difficult weeks.

Now the question is whether that emotional boost is enough to keep Santos competitive in the Sudamericana without their top-tier goalscorer. The series against Atletico Mineiro comes at the worst possible time for Neymar's individual numbers, but the team has already shown it can compete and win even with the most painful absences in the squad.